This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

BOULDER, Colo. — Colorado could be in for potentially catastrophic flooding this spring and summer if the weather conditions are just right, according to scientists who study weather and hydrology.

“We’re certainly primed to be quite vulnerable for some different kinds of flooding this year,” Dave Gochis told FOX31. He’s a scientist at NCAR, the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder.

Gochis studies the flow of rivers and streams and how the weather affects that.

“The potential is there for a lot of flooding,” he said as he looked at maps of Colorado’s rivers and snowpack.

Gochis said the worst flooding would happen if the weather warms up too quickly —  having a week or so of 70-degree temperatures soon — and having heavy, warm spring rains.

That all could be coming Colorado’s way in the next week or two.

“Folks certainly need to be vigilant, especially if you live along rivers,” Gochis said.

Those rivers include Big Thompson River, Boulder Creek, South Platte River and Clear Creek.

In Clear Creek, the undersheriff told FOX31 he’s already concerned about flooding and is ordering extra sandbags for the county to be safe.